What They SayThe Road to Paradise is never easy After a year on the coast, Lexie Atkinson can't settle back into country life. She’s missing the glitzy, gritty nightlife of the big city and the group of misfit friends she’d loved to hate. She knows to move forward she has to go back – back to face the guy who stole her heart. But when Lexie arrives in Paradise City to work out if her future includes bad-boy surfer, Luke Ballantine, he is nowhere to be found. With no home, no money and no Luke, Lexie gets a job slinging drinks at the wild Wipe Out Bar. Soon her heartache is eased when broody bar owner, Dean Saville, starts taking an interest and stirs more than just her drinks. But nothing is ever as it seems in Paradise City and when Luke barrels back into town, Lexie has a choice to make. But who will end up with the broken heart: Luke, Dean … or Lexie? My ReviewBack in April I read this really amazing book. Paradise City. I met Lexie, and Ballantine, and wrote a pretty freaking awesome fangirl-y review. I REALLY DID. It literally blew my socks off, and did I believe the sequel could do the same? DID I HECK. BUT IT WAS BETTER. IT WAS ONLY BLOODY BETTER. I can honestly say that Paradise City and Paradise Road are two of the best freaking books I've ever read in my life. UTTERLY amazing and I bow down to the altar of CJ Duggan's writing because she SLAYS ME.

I read this book in one sitting! ONE BLOODY SITTING. I am writing this at 1.08am because I am that hyped up about how good this bloody book was. I mean BONKERS good. AMAZING good. BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR GOOD. CAPS LOCK GOOD!!!!!!!!! I am honestly amazed, after reading Paradise City, I never would have thought the sequel would go where it went and I'm literally the happiest person alive right now (which is true, because every body else is ASLEEP). I loved Lexie in Paradise City, but I loved her EVEN MORE in Paradise Road. I LOVED that she was doing her own thing, getting herself a job and a place, and growing up. I loved the decisions she made regarding her love life (OH YOU'RE IN FOR SUCH A SURPRISE). I loved that she didn't just collapse under the weight of her Ballantine grief (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, BELLA!!!!). It was just mind-bogglingly good. I raced through this book, barely believing my eyes at just how amazing it was. Have I mentioned this book was AMAZING yet?

Back in Paradise City, I loved Ballantine. I LOVED HIM. But there was very, very much a spark between Lexie and Dean, Ballantine's sexy, dangerous, tattooed (!!!!) half-brother. There was just something about him that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even if he was a bit dangerous with a stare you really want looking at you. You really do. He just had that spark, and he and Lexie have this amazing banter, Lexie is one of the only people who actually puts Dean in his place and the sparks FLY. THEY FLY. I saw it in Paradise City, but here in Paradise Road it's off the bleeding charts. It's INSANE. It's heady, special, magical, and you know you're witnessing something great. I said in my Paradise City review I wanted my own Ballantine. Screw that, I want my own Dean, please.

I honestly can't get over how much I loved this book. It was INSANE. It made me excited to come and fangirl all over it at 1am with my review. It made me so excited to read again, after some drab books. I so, so wish there were more exciting New Adult books like this, more exciting Chick Lit books like this, with spark and wit and humour and a brooding bar owner or surfer. It just grabbed me and wouldn't let me go and made me a very, very happy clam. As if all the capslock and exclamation marks didn't tell you, eh? This was a seriously good duology. AMAZING. Mind-blowing, I want-more amazing. Sigh. I can't believe it's over. I want to just hide in my room for a week, because how do I pick up my next book after THIS? Talk about #bookhangover.